


A love like you

by Snap_crackle_spock



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Also I made Rose pink diamond, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Human Gems (Steven Universe), I know that some people don't agree, Slow Burn, has this been done before?, it's for the plot, please just bear with me, they're all gayyyyy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-07-29 01:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7664350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snap_crackle_spock/pseuds/Snap_crackle_spock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sapphire, princess of the Blue Court, didn't need a babysitter. That's what her personal guard, Ruby, was, a glorified babysitter. There was absolutely no need for her, but maybe there was a little bit of want.</p><p>--</p><p>Alternately</p><p>--</p><p>Ruby had been in the Pink Court for the majority of her life. When she becomes the personal guard to the princess of the Blue Court, she's not quite sure what to do with herself. Especially with the looming thoughts of an imminent war. Add a whole pile of candid FEELINGS to the mix and she's found herself absolutely lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm nothing like you

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first time writing for Steven Universe, but I've been binging in preparation (and 'cause I wanted to) and I'm ready to tackle this. I already have plans for how it'll all end up. Of course, with the Summer of Steven event happening some of it might change to work in the themes from the show. 
> 
> Basically, it's all up in the air and the only thing I know for certain is that Ruby and Sapphire are gay and in love with each other.

Once upon a time…

No. 

This wasn’t Once Upon A Time ago. This isn’t that kind of story. It’s not the story of the helpless princess trapped in a tower, far away from the rest of the world, where she can’t do a single thing for herself. This isn’t the story of the valiant knight with not a single fear in the world, ready to slay the dragon at a moment’s notice. 

Sapphire had always hated those stories. She’d read enough of them growing up. She’d read Cinderella and Repunzel and everything in between more times than she could count. All of them had the same basic premise: there’s a girl. She’s helpless. There’s a prince. He rescues her. The end and happily ever after.

She didn’t want a prince to ride in on a horse and slay her dragons for her. She could do that herself. She didn’t need some valiant knight coming in to kill the big bad villain. This was politics, everyone was her villain. She wasn’t a helpless damsel in distress. She wasn’t locked in a tower far away from civilization, even if her mother did prefer to know where she was at all times. She wasn’t trapped.

She wasn’t exactly free, but she wasn’t bound in chains.

The only thing she had in common with these girls in her stories was the fact that she was a princess, and even that was barely a connection. In fairy tales, they made being a princess sound easy. They made is seem like you just got to sit back and relax while the world spun around you. If only that was the case. Meeting after meeting, endless lessons, and constant photo ops every time she was out.

She wanted to help people from her position, not have them focus on what dress she’d be wearing to the next gala that she could honestly not care any less about. She wanted people to focus more on her ideas than speculate who she was dating. 

“Don’t forget that your mother wants to see you for lunch in the garden at high noon,” Smithsonite, Sapphire’s personal assistant, read from her tablet. It was things like that -having a  _ personal assistant _ to tell her when her mother wanted to see her and where- that made Sapphire not want to be in her position. She was sure Smithy, an affectionate nickname given after years of service, was being payed with the tax payer’s dollars. Certainly not with the royal family’s own money. Instead of going to research for illness or repairs to roads, it was going to paying an unnecessary cog in an overcomplicated machine. 

“She said that you should dress in formal attire,” Smithy continued as the two of them rounded the corner to the large library which had books that probably hadn’t been touched in years as only the royal family had access to it. “According to the message I received, there will be a delegate from the Pink court to negotiate an allegiance.”

_ An allegiance? _ Sapphire wondered, brushing her bangs out of the way of her good eye. The kingdom was divided into four distinct factions, the Yellow, Blue, White, and Pink courts. Each of the factions had it’s own system of rule. Yellow was a dictatorship, Pink was a democracy, and Blue and White relied on their monarchies. Each of the faction’s leaders -The Diamonds- worked together to maintain the peace between the four courts. An allegiance meant the Pink court was preparing for something, something big. They weren’t supposed to side with one another. It was supposed to be equal between the four of them. 

“Thank you, Smithy,” Sapphire smiled kindly at her assistant, “If you’d have Topaz please select an outfit for me, that would be wonderful. And please alert me an hour before I need to be there so I may prepare. Thank you, that will be all.” 

“Right,” Smithy saluted with the diamond shaped hand motion, only slightly put off by having to maintain a hold on her tablet, “Thank you my Sapphire. Until next we see each other.” With that, she backed out of the library, passing another figure entering.

“Hey, stranger,” The familiar voice of Sapphire’s older (and only) cousin came through the library as she was bent over to search for a book. Sapphire twisted her head to look Lapis, the daughter of her mother’s sister. They made an odd friendship, but being the only two kids growing up in the castle together, they’d learned to get along. Everything about their relationship was a contradiction. While Sapphire was timid at first, only to throw her opinions out there when she was more comfortable, Lapis was all show. Whenever she was asked a question she’d skirt around giving a full answer, instead saying a broad statement that didn’t reveal anything.

Instead of having the pressure of one day becoming a Diamond on her shoulders like Sapphire, Lapis got the luxury of relaxation. Her mother, Aquamarine, governed the shoreline cities and was in charge of all of their trade made by boat, as well as any sort of sea-related product sold in the Kingdom. The Blue Court was the only one that was on the beach, so the summer was always an excellent time for their businesses. Everything from what was sold in the marketplaces to how the rooms of the hotels for those traveling from other Courts looked fell to Lapis’s mother. And one day it would be her duty.

Still, Sapphire envied her sometimes. Occasionally she wondered what it would be like, having the option to forgo work for the day in favor of returning to your family’s mansion on the shore, perhaps swimming in a personal beach without even having to worry about the paparazzi invading. 

She’d been gone to her home city of Litus, the closest thing to a capital the Blue Court had. While you’d think it would be where the royal family lived, that was probably the least interesting part of their Court. Where Sapphire lived, Urbe, was almost an exact copy of the neutral territory in the middle of all the Courts, Tutus. It had buildings that touched the sky and a constant buzz of activity. 

Litus was a city where everyone traveled on foot, where the streets were made of cobblestone, and the entire city smelled like salt water and lilacs. The marketplace, which sold everything from jewelry to fish, was made up of tented stands run by parents with suntanned skin and smile lines or teens wearing their bathing suits under their clothes and no shoes. It was big, but it  _ felt _ like everyone knew each other. It was nothing like the busy life of Urbe. It was relaxed in every sense of the word.

Sapphire had missed Lapis. It felt like she was a million miles away, even if it was hardly more than 50. 

“You’re back sooner than I expected,” She commented, looking Lapis up and down. Her feet were bare and her two piece exposed more skin than Sapphire could ever imagine getting away with. She was the  _ crown princess, _ as her mother loved to remind her,  _ if she didn’t dress the part people wouldn’t expect her to fulfill the part.  _

“Yeah, I was missing my favorite cousin,” Lapis smiled and took refuge on one of the large, comfortable white arm chairs. Sapphire could recall days spent in them, with nothing but good books and the occasional servant sent to bring her food. Of course, that was when she was a kid. That was before she had to spend the majority of her free time learning how to rule a Court in a way she didn’t really want to.

“I’m you’re only cousin,” Sapphire pointed out, abandoning the bookshelf in favor of sitting in the chair across from Lapis.

“So that automatically makes you my favorite!” She laughed swept a stray lock of her short blue hair behind her ear, tucking it safely away. “So what’s this I hear about you having to get all dolled up? Special someone coming over?”

“No thank you,” Sapphire rolled her eyes. She’d never had a ‘special someone’ and all she’d known about that sort of thing came from Lapis’s experiences, the only one of which she knew that much about was Jasper. Jasper was a buff private bodyguard to the Yellow Diamond and they’d met at the last Convergence in Tutus. Romantic relationships between nobles of different Courts, while not expressedly forbidden, was heavily frowned upon. And, to make the whole ordeal worse, it wasn’t exactly the best relationship in the world. It hadn’t really been built on love and the things Sapphire had assumed relationships were supposed to be built around. Instead it was more made of hatred and anger. Lapis had been in a bad place at the time, Sapphire was to young to remember why exactly. All she knew is that the entire thing wasn’t healthy and she didn’t want to go through the same thing herself.

“I’m meeting with my mother later today and apparently there will be a representative from the Pink Court there to talk about some sort of arrangement.” Sapphire shrugged. She didn’t want to dwell on why exactly the Pink Court was trying to make alliances during a time of peace. 

“Sounds intense,” Lapis commented offhandedly, fidgeting with the ends of her skirt, “it’s a real shame that I don’t care about any of it,” she winked, “now tell me about the interesting things you’ve read lately.”

  
  


Sapphire was never a fan of their Court’s formal attire. Long skirts and tight shirts mixed with long pieces of light fabric that flowed and wound around her body, along with a long veil that hung off the back of her head. She’d been taught that the Blue court, which represented the water element, was supposed to convey the movement of waves in their formal fashion. She supposed that, with the combination of deep blue fabric and small silver crystals, it did give the impression of water.

She hated it because it always felt like the fabric spoke louder than she did. That it was dwarfing her; consuming her.

Drowning her.

She hated thinking about that idea. About the notion that  _ maybe she  _ wasn’t  _ cut out for the whole princess thing. Maybe she would only lead her Court into misserey when she became their Diamond. _

All she could do was push away the thought, not letting herself ponder the notion that she could mess up. If she thought about it too long, it would surely show. She wasn’t allot the luxury of showing her emotions. That was the baggage that came with being the Crown Princess. 

“You look lovely, miss,” Topaz, her stylist, smiled kindly and swept Sapphire’s bangs so that they covered her left eye. Her bad eye. The eye her mother hated more than anything. The Accident had happened when she was a kid. She’d been playing on the beach of Litus with Lapis and some of the other Higher Class kids of the Blue Court while their parents sat off on the side and discussed politics. They’d been building sandcastles and burying each other, as children do, when a friendly argument had gotten a little too out of hand. The child, who Sapphire couldn’t even remember the name of now, had tossed a handful of sand at her face, which she didn’t have time to duck away from. She didn’t have glasses, she didn’t have a hand to shield her face, and she didn’t have her bangs to intercept some of the blow. Instead, her left eye was assaulted with a handful of sand thrown from childhood stupidity. She’d cried for hours about how she couldn’t see out of it before she’d finally accepted that there was nothing that could be done. 

She’d never found out what exactly had happened to the child and her parents, but she’d never seen them again. Since then, her mother had been a million times more protective of her. She tried to limit Sapphire’s contact with the outside world as much as she could without appearing cruel and expressedly forbade Sapphire from going to the beach without a guardian ever again.

“Thank you, Topaz,” Sapphire bowed her head. Topaz was one of the newer members of the staff, another that Sapphire deemed wholly unnecessary, though she would never say that to Topaz’s face. The young woman was an up and coming fashion designer. She used her job at the castle to pay for her dream of owning a boutique, which she worked farther towards every day she wasn’t called in the castle, spending her time slaved over her sewing machine and making garments for the aristocrats of the Blue Court. “It’s quite lovely.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” The stylist grinned, “The fabric was a blue linen that given to us by the White Court in exchange for their weekly supply of fish. You’re mother gave me special instructions to let nobody but myself hem it.”

“Quite the honor,” Sapphire said politely, inspecting herself in the mirror. It almost looked like she was a normal girl in the Blue Court, attending a formal party. Her platinum hair was braided and hung across her shoulder. Her make-up looked almost non-existent. And, with the expert placement of her bangs by Topaz, it was impossible to even tell one of her eyes didn’t work, “Is there any left over?”

“Just a bit, ma’am,” Topaz said distractedly as she worked on pinning a loose piece of fabric in place, “you’ve got a rather small build so I had to take off a bit on the end. Not enough to make an entire dress out of, but it could surely be incorporated into a garment. Probably your mother’s next dress, that’s my guess.”

“Keep it.” It was a command, but she disguised it as a suggestion. Topaz looked up at her, amazed if not more than a bit startled. “I mean it. My mother has hundreds of dresses, most in this exact shade with very similar if not identical gems. A little fabric, even just enough to add to a nice skirt, can go a long way. You’re far more skilled with a sewing machine than anyone I’ve seen. If anybody can bring out this fabric’s full potential, it’s you.”

Topaz’s eyes were like saucers, wide and catching the light of Sapphire’s dressing room, “Thank you, miss,” she beamed happily at the princess, “thank you so much.”

 

She was early. She was always early, Smithy saw to that. It was never okay for her to simply be on time, she had to be there ten minutes early minimum. She didn’t have time for dramatic entrances. 

Her mother was already there too, her faithful assistant, Blu (an ironic name in Sapphire’s opinion), was already by her side. Sapphire’s bangs hung over her eyes, yes, but Blu’s seemed like a forest that had grown over her face. Even though Sapphire had an excuse, her mother complained about her bangs constantly. She wasn’t sure how Blu got away with having them so far over her face.

“Sapphire,” her mother nodded slightly in acknowledgement. Sapphire always felt like she was hidden away in her formal wear, but her mother commanded it. She made it seem mysterious and alluring. Almost inviting whoever it was she was facing to pay closer attention to her to find the details of her face in the shadows cast by her veil. Next to her and Blu was Agate, her mother’s personal guard. She was heads taller than Sapphire, with bulging muscles and spiraling tattoos that wound up her arms and across her shoulders. 

“Mother,” Sapphire replied. She’d always loved the Royal Gardens. All of the flowers in it were varying hues of blue, purple, and gray. Among them were crystal lights that ran on solar energy and small ponds filled with large koi fish. The table set up for them was just enough to sit three, with tea and pastries already set up. Sapphire took notice as she sat to the fact that the tea offered was primarily from the Pink Court, with a few exceptions. 

“Lady Gemma,” A slender woman walked into Sapphire’s line of sight, her short hair pushed behind her ears and a flowing pink skirt swirling with her movements. Sapphire could only assume that this was the Pink Court ambassador. Trailing behind her were three women, all of whom had to be around Sapphire’s age, with matching leather armor and near-identical faces. Sapphire assumed they were sisters, “I’m so pleased to meet you. My name is Pearl, I was sent by the Pink Diamond.”

“Of course,” Sapphire’s mother spoke softly, gesturing to the third seat, across from the royal family. In the corner of her eye, Sapphire could see Agate looking the three women up and down. Each looked more nervous than the last, and the final one kept glancing around, as if she’d never been to the Blue Court before, and Sapphire watched until their eyes met and she quickly glanced away, “I don’t remember your Diamond ever mentioning you’d be traveling with guests.”

“These,” Pearl gestured to the three women, “are gifts, our way of saying thank you for allowing us to meet with you. Carmine, Perinone, and Ruby are three trained guards, and we offer them to you as protection for your daughter.” Sapphire suddenly felt the gaze of all of the women in attendance land on her. 

“And how am I to ensure that this isn’t some silly plot to assassinate her when her guard is down?” Sapphire’s mom asked, though she doubted it was really in concern for her safety. It was more of a test for Pearl, to see what her intentions were.

“I assure you,” the ambassador held up her hands defensively, “there are no tricks at play here. We at the Pink Court simply ask you to consider an alliance with us. The Yellow Court outnumbers the both of us combined in militia, but with your resources and our numbers we believe that we may have a standing chance.”

“A chance to what, exactly,” Sapphire interjected, “we won’t agree to anything until we know the full details,”

“Sapphire,” her mother warned in a hushed voice. She wasn’t supposed to speak. She was supposed to watch and see the politics happen before her. But she couldn’t, she had to let herself be heard. With that, her mother turned back to Pearl and arched an eyebrow, “Well, answer her question. What sort of chance would we be taking if we agreed to this arrangement.”

“I’m afraid that my Diamond gave me specific instructions not to discuss such things with you until we have your loyalty. My apologies, ma’am. If it were up to me we would-”

“Do not second guess your Diamond,” Sapphire’s mother snapped, a briefly fierce look taking her eyes, “My apologies for raising my voice, Pearl. But do not ever second guess your Diamond. She is superior to you in every sense of the world.”

“Yes, Lady Gemma,” Pearl bowed her head respectfully.

“As for the agreement, I will need some time to mull it over and discuss it with my advisor. I will not discuss this with the other Diamonds, though I assume that was a given, and I will send word when I’ve made a decision.” She thought for a moment, “and take two of the three guards back with you. I do not want my daughter walking around with an entourage of members of another Court. It would send the wrong message to the media  _ and _ raise to many flags for the other courts. I do want her safe, though, so leave your most capable. She will be housed and fed in the castle until she is no longer useful to us.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Pearl stood up with a deep nod, pulling a small stack of papers from her bag, “these are our terms. Please, take your time to read them over. I hope to hear from you soon, and perhaps one day meet again,” She turned to face the guards she’d brought with her, “Carmine, Perinone, with me. Ruby, it’s been a pleasure traveling with you.”

“As with you, Ms. Pearl,” Ruby nodded and watched as her sisters -Sapphire was sure they were related- marched off behind Pear, leaving her to awkwardly stare at Ruby and attempt to not think about how the very appearance of her sort of made Sapphire’s heart flop over. 


	2. Wondering when I'm coming back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby shines light on how she landed in this position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to write. I love describing each of the courts (I'm honestly just a slut for setting descriptions) and getting to see Rose was really fun. Some of the people who were alluded to but didn't show up in this chapter (Amethyst, White Diamond, Greg, Steven, etc.) I can promise we'll get to see them later.

It was supposed to be a normal day. Was that such a hard thing to deliver on? Just a normal day of doing basically nothing. That’s what she told herself she wanted when she woke up that morning. It was a nice day, a  _ good _ day. The sun was shining through the one window in her and Scarlet’s shared bedroom. (Mostly because they couldn’t afford curtains.)

Ruby had… Issues with her living situation. It wasn’t the location, that was perfect. Domum, their capital city, was beautiful. Glass building that touched the clouds, the steady hum of traffic that was just a muffled buzz from their high-up apartment, and the spires of the castle that glistened in the morning sun. They elected their officials, yes, but the Pink Court also kept a lot of the culture of the Blue Court. Their Diamond still lived in a castle, she still wore gowns to parties, and there were other, lesser families scattered throughout the Pink Court. 

Her court was the largest of the four, though that was more because they had control over the farmlands more than anything else. The population of the Pink Court was still second to that of the White Court. But the land was gorgeous. Ruby had only been out in the country a few times, and only because she needed to do her job. She was a guard. Not even a guard, one of  _ the _ guards. She, and her six sisters, were the private task force assigned to Rose, the Pink Diamond. 

So no, the location wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t even entirely the size of the apartment, either. It had two bedrooms, a bath, a living room, and a kitchen. As far as apartments granted to you by the government, it wasn’t terrible. So it wasn’t the location nor the size, which only left the people.

Ruby loved her family. For most of her life her sisters were all that she had. They were the ones who’d seen her at her lowest and raised her to her highest. That being said, she wanted to strangle each and every one of them. They took two each bedroom, while Poppy and Cerise were forced to bunk in the living room, and it was too much. The rooms weren’t that big to begin with, so adding another person to the mix was a horrible mistake, in Ruby’s mind. Granted, Scarlet was probably the most organized of the six of them. She had a habit of labeling everything. Still, it could get annoying. 

“Oh, Ruby,” her sister smiled from their shared mirror. She was effortless at everything. Effortlessly beautiful, effortlessly sweet, and effortlessly up at the ass crack of dawn every single morning. It was a bit of a problem, seeing as Ruby tended to sleep in whenever she could, “you’re up. That’s lovely! Perhaps you could help me pick out my make-up. I just got some new lipstick and I was trying to figure out which would go best with-”

“I’m gonna stop you there,” Ruby mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, “It really doesn’t matter. We’ll only be wearing our armor, anyway. It’s not like anyone’s gonna care what color your lips are.”

“ _ I _ care,” Scarlet laughed as if Ruby’d just said some hilarious joke, “I know you don’t see the point in it all, but I like to look put together. Oh, I don’t know why I asked, Perinone probably knows more about this stuff than you do.” With that, she left their room to go into the one next door, leaving Ruby to mutter about how even  _ she _ could match two shades of red. It couldn’t be that hard.

She was still broiling as she tugged on her clothes, a simple muscle shirt and some shorts, that she honestly didn’t take the time to match. The habit of just pulling whatever was closest and cleanest had been ingrained into her. Besides, most of her person would be covered by the leather armor that awaited them at the palace. As she tied a red bandana around her head, she made her way to the kitchen where Poppy was happily flipping pancakes and piling them onto a large plate in the middle of the table. Cerise was already digging in, scrolling through her phone as she ate. Ruby smirked at her sister, the eyepatch she’d been forced to wear bringing back memories of their weekly game of baseball with anyone else they found in the park. Cerise had accidently gotten hit in the face with the ball and received a fucked up eye for her troubles.

“Mornin’, Ruby,” Poppy greeted, wiping the thin line of sweat that had gathered above her brow line from the heat of the stove with the back of her hand, “I was just about to have Cerise go wake you up.”

“That’s what you think,” Cerise muttered under her breath, taking a sip from the solid black coffee mug on her left. Ruby let out a chuckle at that. Cerise was always acted like the biggest baddie in the family, but she was a sweetheart. You just had to crack the walls she’d built up first. 

“Listen to Poppy,” Ruby heard Carmine’s voice ring from behind her. She turned to see her oldest sister walking towards them, horrendous yellow glasses reflecting the light coming in through the open window. Carmine’d always favored Poppy most, probably because she was the one who kept the order whenever Carmine wasn’t around. She’d unspokenly become the mother of the group when their parents had passed. It had been such a long time ago, Perinone wasn’t even 16 at the time. The couple had been two high-ranking guards in the Pink Court. Their last wish had been for Rose, er, Pink Diamond to grant their daughters the opportunity to support themselves. At least until they could do so on their own. That had been three whole years ago. 

In Ruby’s opinion, they shouldn’t be doing this. At least not all of them. Poppy and Carmine had been the only two to attend college. Well, Scarlet had gone, but she’d dropped it because of the costs halfway through. Ruby, Perinone, and Cerise hadn’t even gotten the option. They’d had to hop right into jobs after high school, or in Peri’s case, during her senior year.  Carmine and Poppy were too smart to be doing this until they couldn’t work anymore, but this was the only job they had time for. It was an around the clock gig which offered no extra time for job hunting.

At least the apartment was free. 

“Peri, Scarlet!” Poppy called, “Hurry up or you’re missing breakfast! We’re leaving in 15!”

Like earlier stated, the day had seemed normal. 

  
  


The palace was pretty. Like,  _ really _ pretty. Spires of pink glass stretch to the morning sky, grazing the clouds as if they were bumping into each other. The very tallest tower, where Rose slept, disappeared into the clouds, though Ruby figured that was intentional. The base of the palace was made out of a sturdier material, opaque but not quite solid colored. It gave allusions to clarity when really you couldn’t see through it. 

In the white court, they changed the leader every four years. In the pink, it was for life. Of course, there was always the option of impeachment, but the Pink Court had never called that law in since it’s beginning. The White Court had, but only a handful of times. And rightfully so, in Ruby’s opinion.

The castle wasn’t far from their apartment. Just a short walk and a tram ride from the gate to the armory. Yeah, a tram. The castle itself was big, but not huge. The grounds on the other hand were gigantic. Again, the Pink Court had the most land out of any of the four. They had room to spare. So, while the castle was the main focus, there was also an armory, a separate building for the live-in servants, (Nannies for Rose’s son, advisors, round-the-clock maids, etc.) a kitchen, a small theater, and a recreational facility. 

Ruby and her sisters were expected to be in the armory by 6:30 in the morning, sharp. After that they’d make their way over to a briefing room in the castle by 6:45 and do their jobs until 7 at night. The hours were long, but there were perks. If the Diamond family decided to see a show or sporting event, it was Ruby’s family’s job to go with them, and Rose was always kind enough to treat them to some extra snacks while watching.

“Ladies,” Bismuth, the Diamond’s personal blacksmith greeted cheerfully from her place at an anvil. Ruby liked Bismuth, probably the most out of all of her sisters. And that wasn’t to say that the other’s didn’t like her, Cerise and Bismuth got along surprisingly well, it was just that she and the blacksmith had spent the most time together. That time being completely creaming an unfortunate group of middle schoolers and some adults at a ridiculously hard-core game of laser-tag. 

“Got any new toys for us today, B?” Ruby grinned at the woman who was at least twice her height. She was cool in every sense of the word, dark skin that nearly blended with tattoos made contrast by her colorful dreads. She was laid back and ready to pounce all at once.

“Sure thing, Ru,” Bismuth grinned and pulled out a small handgun, “Thought I’d give you an upgrade after you told me about your old one acting up. This one’s newer, shoots faster, less of a kick back, and more portable. I call her Breaking Point.”

“Cute,” Ruby chuckled before turning to join her sisters at the armor shelves. It was simple. Just some leather shoulder pads and breast plates engraved with the family seal (surprise, it’s a rose) of the Diamond family. “Are we still going out for drinks later?”

“You bet your ass we are!” Bismuth called over the sound of stone on metal, “I’ve got some new toys for you to try out, if you’re interested!”

“Always!” Ruby grinned from ear to ear as she finished tugging on her armor.

  
  


Their Diamond was in the rose garden, as she usually was in the mornings. It was really pretty, with roses of almost every color. Yellow, blue, and white roses were even gathered in their own portion of the garden, right by the center. Though, in the very middle, was the crown of the entire thing. A large fountain with rose bushes in vases all around. It had been built specifically for Rose, as she was immortalized in statues all over it. 

Ruby was stationed on the side of the fountain opposite of Rose. She was sitting, having a cup of tea with her chief of press, Spinel. Ruby couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying due to the fountain, but she picked up enough to gather that they were discussing the concert the Diamond family would be hosting in this very garden. Ruby was torn over if she was excited for it or not. On one hand, she would have to work a night shift until far past midnight, but on the other she had a secured ticket to the most anticipated event of the season. 

“My Diamond,” she heard a voice ring out over the falling water. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a tall pale woman making her way towards Rose. The woman in question, Pearl, was one of the queen’s personal ambassadors. As one of her bodyguards, it was Ruby’s job to know who was who in the Pink Court. Pearl had been serving Rose since she was elected Diamond, and was one of Rose’s closest friends.

“Pearl, excellent.” Rose stood to greet Pearl with a short hug, silently dismissing Spinel with a nod. “I trust you got my message? It’s of the utmost  importance that we get the Blue Court to side with us. I’ve already sent Amethyst to discuss an arrangement with the White Court.”

“Yes,” Pearl nodded, tucking her pink skirt under her legs as she sat down, “about that. Are you  _ really _ sure Amethyst was the best choice for such a heavy matter, with a person in such a high position of power? This is  _ war _ we’re talking about, Rose. I’d understand sending her to talk to some of the younger, lower members of the White Court, but their Diamond? Don’t you think that perhaps Beryl would’ve been a better choice in this situation. Amethyst can be… Brash. You know how she is.”

“Yes, Pearl,” Rose said soft enough that Ruby had to strain to hear her. It wasn’t that she liked eavesdropping, per say, it was more that she didn’t have anything better to do than pass the time. She was sure that each of her sisters were doing the exact same thing. And it wasn’t like they could discuss anything they hear with anybody. They’d each signed a contract when offered the job that demanded their confidentiality. “I know exactly how Amethyst can be. That’s why I chose her for the White Court in particular. Diana’s court is known for their free spirit and mysterious ways. I want Amethyst to bring her youthful views to make my offer as appealing to the White Diamond as she can. I’ve picked her for the White Court the same way I’ve picked you for the Blue. You wouldn’t fare as well there just as she wouldn’t fare as well where you’re going. Gemma is a very proper lady, and I feel like you would appeal the most to her.”

“It’s not going to be an easy deal,” Pearl warned, “the Blue Diamond doesn’t strike deals with the other courts unless there’s something in it for her. And it can’t just be jewels or gold, she already makes the most of those out of any of the courts.”

“And I’ve planned accordingly,” Rose nodded, “Carmine, Perinone, Ruby, would you please come here?” Suddenly very unsure of herself, Ruby came over. Her job wasn’t to talk to Rose. It was to protect her. Why did her Diamond need her to come over all of a sudden? “You three are to accompany Pearl to the Blue Court and remain there as a peace offering. Pearl, please introduce them as three of my most loyal guards. You ladies have the rest of the day to pack anything you might need, though I assume that clothing will not be necessary. The Blue Court has a very different style than we do here. Your service has been appreciated and I hope to see you each again some day. That will be all.”

Ruby was in shock. She was… Being traded? For an alliance? She’d never get to see Scarlet or Cerise or Poppy ever again. She’d never get to have her full family back. This… This was too much to comprehend. To much to digest while she was being dragged by Carmine and Perinone out of the rose garden.

  
  


The only thing worse than being told that she’d never get to see half of her family ever again is being told that she can never see any of her family ever again. Perinone and Carmine had been dismissed by Blue Diamond just as easily as the three of them had been by Pink Diamond. Now she was left there, not a friend in the world, told that she was in charge of guarding a foreign princess she knew nothing about. 

“Were you,” the Blue Princess,  _ Sapphire, _ asked. Ruby hated her. She hated that Sapphire was indirectly the source of her problems. If it hadn’t been for her mother and her stupid ideals then Carmine and Perinone would still be with her. If it hadn’t been for either of the Diamonds, she wouldn’t be in this situation at all. And Ruby hated thinking like that, because Sapphire really did seem like a decent person. After the meeting had ended between Pearl and the royal family -and Ruby was forced to leave her family without saying goodbye- the Blue Diamond had demanded that Ruby accompany Sapphire to her room and begin her duties immediately. “Were you and the other guards who came with you close?”

Ruby stiffened at the question. It felt like to sudden of a reminder.  _ Were _ they close? Not  _ are _ they close? As if it was all in the past, a distant thought from a time long ago. “Very,” Ruby replied curtly, angry that she still had to be polite even though she wanted nothing more than to yell and scream, “we were sisters.”

“I’m sorry,” Sapphire looked down. No matter how much Ruby hated all of this, she still felt horrible for causing the princess to sound so distraught. “I never wanted to separate a family. Believe me, Ruby, if it were up to me than you would already be back on your way to the Pink Court. Not that I don’t appreciate you being here, I mean.” The princess began brushing a hand through her overgrown bangs. Funny, Ruby had seen footage of Sapphire on television for every major event the Blue Court did and she’d never looked so flustered. She always to be this stoic force of nature, unmoveable and unaffected by the world around her. As if she were simply above it all. Ruby had never seen this young girl, not even a year older than herself, who couldn’t find the right words. 

“It’s my duty to serve my Diamonds, no matter what Court they’re aligned with.” Ruby muttered bitterly, rolling over one particular thing she’d heard Pearl say.  _ This is war we’re talking about. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! A cliff hanger! Also, I skipped over the meeting scene in the Blue Court garden because we'd already had one of those in this chapter, just in a different court. Anywho, I won't be able to write for the next week (cruises, guys) so I might be a little late posting. 
> 
> As always, I appreciate each and every one of your kudos and comments! And I can't wait to see you next chapter. 
> 
> The definitions:
> 
> Diana: Divine   
> Scarlet, Cerise, and Poppy: More shades of red.  
> (Respectively, the sisters are:  
> Scarlet: Navy  
> Cerise: Eyeball  
> Poppy: Army  
> Carmine: Doc  
> and Perinone: Leggie)
> 
> Spinel: Spinel is a stone that can bring high energy to all efforts and all realms. In the outer world, spinel is used to attract money, wealth and prosperity. It can also be used to bring vitality to any endeavor.
> 
> Beryl: Red Beryl is a rare and remarkable find, a passionate Earth stone of physical vitality and action.


	3. When I See the Way You Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adjusting, eating, and touring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my friends! I'd like to apologize for leaving you hanging, but trust me, it's worth it! This chapter has ALL OF THE FLUFF, no need to thank me. (Also Sapphire's such a cutie patootie and they're gonna be in today's episode. I'm hype.)

Sapphire didn’t want this. She felt awkward enough when she’d been  _ gifted _ people. Living, breathing people. She respected Rose Universe, she was a just leader who was beloved by the entirety of the Pink Court. But this was… something else. Something that Sapphire hadn’t felt right with. But, now that Ruby had confirmed that the three women were sisters, Sapphire couldn’t comprehend it. She’d separated a family. She’d torn them apart in the name of politics. 

It wasn’t right.

And, on top of all of that, she was just laying there, doing nothing about it. She was simply reclined on her bed, early in the morning after the whirlwind of a day that had just happened, staring at the sheer canopy above her bed, thinking. Her room was big, bigger than it should be, with it’s own bathroom, small living room and kitchen, and a connected room. That was where Ruby was. Where she’d be forced to live now that Sapphire had stolen her from her real home. 

The princess had tried to pretend that she hadn’t heard the muffled sobs coming from that room last night.

_ There’s nothing you could’ve done. _ She tried to tell herself. She tried to remind herself that the entire thing was out of her control and it had all been conducted far above her hair.  _ I was there, though. I could’ve spoken up. I could’ve said  _ something _ to stop it from happening. Stupid, stupid, stupid! And what are you doing? Not even trying to help her ease into life here? How selfish can you get, Sapphire? And you want to rule an entire Court? You can’t even comfort a single person! _

With that final thought clattering around her head over and over, she decided then and there that, if Ruby was to be stuck here, Sapphire would make damn well sure her new guard was as comfortable as possible. With a breath, Sapphire slipped out of her too-big bed to walk through her too-large room to her too-unnecessary kitchen. She had a private chef who worked down in the kitchens, but she figured it was too early to bother Kyanite. Besides, Sapphire wanted to do this herself. She wanted to prove to Ruby that she cared. 

Shivering in her silk nightgown, she rushed to her closet and quickly grabbed a sweatshirt. Her mother would probably burn it if she ever found it in Sapphire’s possession -it’s not  _ ladylike _ to wear something so distastefully baggy, Sapphire- but she’d asked Topaz to get her one in secret. It was just so  _ cold _ in her room in the mornings. Besides, it was probably the most expensive sweatshirt money could buy. Topaz had taken it upon herself to embroider it with small diamond patterns, with the occasional glimmer of a gemstone sewn onto it. 

She had never been much of a cook, her mother had only had her learn the bare necessities of the culinary arts, but she had a fully stocked kitchen and access to the internet. It couldn’t be  _ that _ hard to whip something up for Ruby, right?

“Okay,” Sapphire huffed, grabbing her tablet off of the counter before venturing into the kitchen, looking up recipes that could work, “do your worst.”

  
  


When Ruby woke up, there was a split second where she thought that she was back home. A millisecond where she’d forgotten everything that had happened and was back home again. But that idea was shattered the moment she’d rolled over to discover that Scarlet wasn’t lying next to her. Instead, she was in a bed twice the size of the one that she was used to sleeping in. And, instead of having to wrestle with her sister for half of their shared red blanket, she was drowning in a comforter that Ruby would begrudgingly admit was more comfortable than anything she’d ever slept on. Probably more expensive, too. She’d stayed up late last night. All she could do was think about her sisters back home. She wondered how Carmine and Perinone had broken the news to the rest of their family. And what about Bismuth? How would she find out? All of her friends would have to learn through the grape vine, and that was probably one of the things that troubled Ruby most. 

When she woke up, she was still in the same red muscle shirt and running shorts she’d fallen asleep in. The red bandana she’d tied around her head was still situated. She looked just like she had on the outside yesterday, but on the inside everything was different.

Instead of being woken up by a knock on the door by someone who had her assignments, like she’d expected, or one of her sisters telling her that it was all some massive joke, she woke up to singing. A soft, enchanting voice that was coming from just outside her room. Ruby wracked her brain for anybody that she knew who would have access to Sapphire’s apartment of a bedroom, but she just kept coming up empty. 

More than anything, she wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted to shove her feather-stuffed pillow over her head, ignore the world, and go back to bed. But a glance at the little clock on her bedside table told her that that wasn’t a possibility. If the singing hadn’t woken her up, someone probably would’ve come in to do it themselves.

Grumbling, Ruby got up. She was pretty sure she’d seen a coffee machine in the kitchen when she’d come in. Besides, something from the kitchen smelled admittedly good. Maybe had a personal caterer. 

When she opened the door, she was surprised to say the least. There, in the middle of the kitchen, in a silk nightgown that brushed the floor when she moved underneath an oversized blue sweatshirt, was the Crown Princess of the Blue Court. And not only that, but she was scrambling eggs and bacon (a stereotypically Pink Court meal, they were the ones with all the farms) while  _ singing. _

It was a catchy pop tune, one that Ruby had heard endlessly on the radio in all of it’s autotuned glory. But this was so much better. Sapphire had the voice of an angel, something Ruby had never expected. Then again, she didn’t know very much about the girl she was now charged with protecting. She’d never seen very much of her in meetings in Tutus, and even less on TV. 

_ “-I’m coming into view as the world is turning,” _ Sapphire continued, still oblivious to Ruby entering the room. She looked briefly at the glowing tablet on the counter next to the stove before taking a container of salt and shaking it onto the eggs she was making, _ “Haven’t you noticed I’ve made it this far? Now everyone can see my burning. Now everyone can see me burning. Now everyone can see me-” _

“Sapphire?” Ruby asked quietly.

The princess let out a small shriek, stumbling and looking over to see Ruby and cutting herself off. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t- I didn’t notice you there. I didn’t mean to wake you up, if that’s what happened. It just got stuck in my head, and you know how those songs are. They just play over and over and over.”

“It’s fine,” Ruby shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck, “What -er- what are you cooking there?”

“Huh?” Sapphire asked, and Ruby assumed that her eyes were raised, though she couldn’t see them behind the bangs that looked like they needed a cut four inches ago. “Oh, shit! Sorry, it was supposed to be a surprise. I mean, I wanted to give you breakfast in bed. I know it’s not much, but I figured that a little bit of your home would help you ease into being here. Though, I’m pretty sure I didn’t cook the bacon right. I don’t think it’s supposed to look that crunchy-”

“It’s fine,” Ruby promised, unsure of how she felt about the gesture. She was still mad about the whole thing, but the fact that Sapphire had actually cooked for her, and not just cooked but actually went through the trouble of finding Pink Court recipes, was touching, “It smells delicious. Besides, bacon is better crunchy.”

“If you say so,” Sapphire laughed before turning around again to face the stove. The back of her hair, which was pulled into a sloppy ponytail, swished with her movement. “If you want, there’s a coffee machine behind you. Someone comes in every night while I’m asleep to make it, which is very sweet. It’s dark roast, if that’s okay with you. If it’s not, I’m sure that I can talk to them about changing it. Or, if you’re like me and prefer tea, there are some bags in that pantry and a kettle by the stove on my right. I already set the water to boil so you just need to fill a cup.”

“Um, thanks,” Ruby said awkwardly, “The dark roast is fine. Where can I get the mugs?”

“Cabinet to your left. Take whichever one you want.”

Ruby pulled open the dark wood door to the cabinet, and almost cried out in rage at the mugs. They were on the third shelf, just out of her reach. She didn’t want to give Sapphire the satisfaction of seeing her balance on her toes, and then inevitably falling and breaking one of the, like, twelve identical mugs, each dark blue with lighter blue diamond patterns adorning them. How could this be at all convenient for Sapphire? She couldn’t be more than an inch or two taller than Ruby was.

Weighing her options, (to coffee or not to coffee?) Ruby decided to mentally say  _ fuck it _ and go for the closest one to the edge. She had to hold herself up on the counter with her other hand, but at least Sapphire was still focused on the stove. Maybe she could get away with her dignity still intact-

_ Nope. _

Just when she had her middle and pointer finger through the handle, she felt herself slipping.  _ Should’ve fucking known better! You’re wearing socks on a tile floor, idiot. _ Though, when she was positive she was going to fall and bring the mug down with her to the floor, she felt an icy hand on her waist, steadying her. Giving a brief look over her shoulder, she saw the princess of the Blue Court, her face an inch away from Ruby’s. She felt a shiver crawl up her back. She hadn’t even heard Sapphire move. It wasn’t a big kitchen, but still. Something should’ve informed her. 

“Sorry,” Sapphire said, hardly louder than a whisper as she drew her hands back as if Ruby had burned her, “cold hands. Runs in the family.”

“How did you know I was gonna fall?” Ruby asked, turning the mug over in her hands.

“I guess I’m very lucky,” Sapphire shrugged, a small smile gracing her face. It was… nice. Ruby had only seen the icy front that had been put up by the princess. This small break in it made her seem more human. “I don’t know, I just get this feeling. Like, whenever it’s about to rain or when someone by me is about to drop something. I can’t really explain it. Just a sixth sense sort of thing, you know?”

“Not really,” Ruby answered honestly, “but thanks. I can’t even imagine how much I’d have to pay to get this mug replaced.”

“It’s fine,” Sapphire laughed, which sounded the way a soft breeze felt. Like you just wanted to close your eyes and enjoy it while it lasted, because you knew that all too soon it’ll be gone, “I have, like, ten other ones in there. I’m sure nobody would even notice.”

“Y-yeah,” Ruby nodded and turned to back to the coffee pot.

  
  


The meal went surprisingly well, in Ruby’s opinion. The two of them sat in silence, on opposite ends of the circular glass table. Ruby wasn’t exactly sure what to say that wouldn’t be awkward.  _ Did you see that baseball game the other day? _ It was a Pink Court match, doubtful.  _ What’s your opinion on the unfair taxes of your court?  _ Never bring up politics with a politician, try again.  _ Why are your bangs down to your chin?  _ Don’t be an asshole, Ruby.

Sapphire had told her when she’d set the food on the table that she was never much of a chef, and had certainly never prepared Pink Court food, but Ruby couldn’t help but doubt. The food tasted better than what Poppy cooked, and she’d been scrambling eggs since she could hold a spatula. It was better than okay, and Ruby was eternally grateful for the shred of normalcy that Sapphire had given her.

“So,” Sapphire started from the other end of the table, swiping something away on her tablet. Ruby wondered briefly if she would be getting one, “they say that I’m supposed to show you around the grounds.”

“Who’s they?” Ruby asked, taking the last bite of eggs before standing to gather her dishes and take them to the sink. 

“I-” Ruby turned to see Sapphire look down at her lap, “I’m actually not sure. Probably Smithy, but who knows? Anyway, if you’d just grab some clothes then we-” She trailed off when she saw Ruby brush a hand through her hair, skewing her bandana. “Right, I’m gonna guess that most of your wardrobe is pink and red. Which is cool, but you’d probably stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe…” She looked at her own sweatshirt before tugging it over her head and handing it to Ruby, “wear this. It’s no guard’s uniform, but I think you’ll blend in a little bit more with this on.”

Ruby could barely reach out to grab it, she was too preoccupied with gaping at Sapphire. It felt a little wrong to drool over her, but she looked ethereal without the sweatshirt. No longer the girl who actually seemed human, now she was back to the perfect princess she had been the day prior that scared Ruby, though she’d never admit it. Her blue nightgown looked like a waterfall, pooling at her feet in a gossamer lake. Her hair, still tucked away in her ponytail, looked like a pale cloud that was slowly melting down her back, which made a dark contrast to her deep brown skin. All the more beautiful. 

“Th-thanks.” Ruby rushed out before all but sprinting into her room. 

 

Sapphire knew the palace like she knew her own mind. She’d been roaming the long halls ever since she was born. And, even when she’d been too young to know where she was going, Lapis had always been there to guide her. Now she was the one guiding, no longer the one who needed to have their hand held. Though, to be fair, Ruby’s hand looked like it would be very nice to hold-  _ what was  _ happening _ to her? _ This was a vulnerable woman who’d just been ripped from her home and Sapphire was fantasizing about holding hands? That was wrong on all accounts! Besides, she didn’t like women, at least she never had before. Granted, she’d never liked men all that much either. And she had always preferred to look at pictures of the the princesses in their ball gowns rather than the princes on their steeds in her story books. No, this was  _ not _ the time to reassess everything she’d ever done. Now was the time for-

“Okay, I’m coming out!” Ruby announced through the door, a nice courtesy pause given for Sapphire to protest she heard the door click open. Twisting her head, sapphire looked at Ruby and was astounded. She really did look like a Blue Court member. Except for the red bandana that Ruby still wore, and Sapphire found it fascinating. Even under such dire circumstances, her new guard still had enough sense of self to show open rebellion. It was… Admirable. Or plain stupid, though Sapphire preferred to think it the latter. 

“Excellent,” Sapphire nodded and glanced at her tablet once again. Smithy had notified her that her schedule had been cleared for the day in order to adjust to Ruby being there as well. “Now we can begin our tour.” While Ruby had been changing, Sapphire had slipped on a new dress, which was a lot more uncomfortable than the sweatshirt and pajamas ensemble that she’d had going on. 

As she led Ruby around the castle, she pointed out places of interest. The library, the dorms for their staff, the armory, the small gyms, the staff’s hidden doors that she wasn’t really supposed to know about, the kitchens, and finally… 

“The gardens,” Sapphire gestured broadly to the beautiful area, “I know you were already here but I thought that we could look around a little bit more. Unless you’re uncomfortable, in which case we can move right along.”

“It’s fine,” Ruby said, clearly lying, “I’m okay.”

“Sure,” Sapphire said hesitantly, “well there’s the fountain, the greenhouse over there, and we have a small vegetable garden in the corner. Other than that, not much. It’s really just a nice place to be.”

“Back in the Pink Court they had this  _ huge  _ rose garden,” Ruby said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen, “I dunno, I guess that was kind of Rose’s thing, you know? No other flowers, not even grass. It was just rose after rose, in every color of the rainbow.”

“It sounds lovely,” Sapphire nodded, trying to be comforting. 

“It was.”

There was another pause before Sapphire brought it to an end with,  _ “Anyway, _ there’s one last stop on the tour, and it’s kinda a big deal. It’s right through those glass doors over there.” She pointed to decedent doors with shiny panes of blue tinted glass. As the two women entered, Sapphire silently laughed at Ruby’s dropped jaw. The room they’d just entered, the throne room, was by far one of the most impressive rooms in the castle.

The floor was a combination of blue tiles made to look like a swirling wave and seashells embedded into the ground. The pillars holding the tall ceiling up were carved with designs of mermaids, dolphins, and other sea life. The rug that lead from the main doors to the thrones was dyed in every shade of blue there was, with flowers, diamonds, and sea creatures embroidered into it. And, of course, the thrones were raised above it all on a platform. The larger of the two, her mother’s, was made of glass and dark blue cushions, as well as silver twisted in the most artistic of ways. Next to it was Sapphire’s, which was more of a nice chair. It was dwarfed by her mother’s, though the two were almost identical. Separating them from the rest of the room was a blue glass fence. 

“It’s very beautiful,” Ruby commented, wide eyes traveling to the ceiling to marvel at the chandelier that used actual diamonds and threw the room into a soft blue hue.

_ So are you, _ Sapphire thought.

_ Christ, Sapphire, find a fucking chill.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoyed! I'm thinking about officially making the schedule for this story every Thursday, you know, since the episodes do that too.
> 
> Anywho, we only got one new gem mention this chapter and that was Kyanite, which means Kyanite can remove energy blockages. Blue kyanite is associated with the throat chakra and is a boost to meditation. It is sometimes called Sappore, Blue Talc, or the "Tripping" stone. (I'm gonna be honest, I don't think Kya's gonna show up later in the story so let me confirm now that she's totally tripping 24/7) 
> 
> (Also for reference I imagine the Blue Court to look kind of like the Anastasian Princess Hotel. If you haven't seen it, it's really beautiful and I highly suggest googling it!)


	4. Look at you go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of an adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Can I pretty please just say that Mindful Education fuCKED ME UP. 
> 
> All in all, though, I was really happy to the The Gays back, even if they didn't talk. And, I promise, I will be working in a little reference to it in the next chapter.
> 
> Anywho, I'm really excited for this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

In the end, Ruby did get her tablet. Though, it was probably at the most awkward moment possible. Sapphire was in the shower, which left Ruby sitting in the living room area awkwardly and trying  _ desperately _ not to think about the fact that the really hot princess that she was now spending the rest of her life with was definitely naked in the connected room. She was instead trying to busy herself with looking through the magazines Sapphire had provided. It’d been almost a week since their little tour, and Ruby had begun to notice the stareing. Upon the princess’ request, Ruby was going through some Blue Court magazines and picking out some clothes that she liked. (It had only taken four times of Sapphire insisting that it was completely okay.)

_ “I’m serious, Ruby,” Sapphire had said, “if anything, it provides a tactical advantage. Nobody would expect somebody in street clothes that just happened to be with me to jump them if they tried to attack them. Besides, I’m not my mother. I’d feel weird if somebody in full armor was constantly trailing me.” _

Honestly, Ruby didn’t really know what she was looking for. The majority of the items in the magazine were skirts and dresses. And if not that, then too-tight pants that didn’t look like they could stretch. Ruby had always been a sweats or yoga pants kind of girl. Whatever the fuck a maxi skirt was didn’t seem like it was up her alley. She was just about to give up on it and turn to a different magazine when there was a turn of the locks in the door. Without a second thought, Ruby sprinted into the kitchen, grabbed the biggest knife she could find, and dove behind the couch. 

With the sudden adrenaline rush from her first time actually working in a new job, she listened intently for the opening of the door. When she heard the faint brush of the wooden door on the carpet, she let out a scream and rushed from her hiding place… Only to meet a freckled girl with a deep blue hijab wrapped around her head holding one of her arms stuck out in surrender.

“Wait wait wait wait!” She called, “I work here! I’m Sapphire’s personal assistant!”

Looking the girl up and down critically, Ruby saw the blue diamond insignia on the bracelets on her wrists. “Okay,” she said, relaxing the grip on the knife but not dropping it completely. There could always be imposters, and she hadn’t been working here long enough to know if this girl was real or fake.

“My name’s Smithsonite,” the freckled girl said, breathing heavily, “I was sent up here to give this to you.” She stuck one of her hands into the navy messenger bag around her torso, pulling out a tablet with an aqua case. “My Diamond wanted me to come up while Sapphire wasn’t here. You know, the whole ‘don’t be seen’ bit.”

“How did you know Sapphire would be busy?” Ruby asked, thinking again of the princess. “Are there cameras in here?”

“What?” Smithsonite asked, “Of course not! I just need to know her schedule, it’s my job. She always showers at two on Fridays. Speaking of which, everything is already loaded onto this; all of her daily schedules, any contact info you could possibly need, and full maps of the grounds. If you need anything, my names under Smithy on there. Other than that, you shouldn’t really need to use it that much. But everyone who works here is in there, even Blue Diamond herself. But do  _ not _ call her unless Sapphire is dead on the ground, do you understand? If you have any questions that I can’t answer, talk to Blu. She’s the Diamond’s assistant, and she’s the one you talk to. Got it?”

Ruby nodded.

“Good,” Smithy nodded curtly and handed over the tablet, “Well, I better get going. If you need anything, message me. If I need anything, I’ll message you. Oh, and don’t forget that the princess is to be in the throne room by three thirty for the trip up to Litus. We’ll be leaving at four PM sharp. You’ll be riding with the princess and duchess Lazuli in the car trailing the Diamond’s. When we arrive in Litus you will be sleeping in a conjoining room to the princess. Any questions?” She didn’t really pause. “Good. I’ll be going.”

“But-” Before Ruby could finish, the door was closed. 

“Ruby?” Sapphire’s soft voice came from behind her and Ruby turned to see the princess, in a fluffy blue robe and toweling her hair off, “who was that? And why do you have a knife?” 

“It was, uh, Smithsonite. I think. I dunno. She said that she was her assistant.” Ruby hated that she could feel herself blushing, and then blushing harder at the fact that her face must be completely red. “Anyway, she just came to give me this,” she held up the tablet, “and to ask me to remind you that you need to be ready to go to Litus by three thirty. That’s the fishing city, right?”

Sapphire’s entire face lit up at Ruby’s words. “We’re going to Litus!” In a fluid motion she rushed over and hugged Ruby,  _ “Yes! _ Oh, I haven’t been in forever! Is Lapis coming too? We could show you the city! You’d love it!”

“You didn’t know that we were going?” Ruby asked, a little worried. Maybe even a lot worried.

“No, but that’s the usual. I don’t really get told many things. You’re gonna need something lighter to wear. Maybe we can have it shipped to Aunt Aqua’s. I think Lapis might be able to dig up some of the stuff Jasper had while she was there, though that might be all yellow. At least, I’m pretty sure Jasper visited Litus.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, trying her best to distance herself from Sapphire. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she was there, in nothing but a robe. Ruby  _ needed _ to get out of the room. “You need to change, I’ll go back into my room.”

“Right,” Sapphire nodded, calming herself down with deep breaths, “I’ll see you in, like, two minutes.”

 

* * *

 

Sapphire was over the moon. It’d been an eternity and a half since she’d gotten to go to Litus. Her mother tried to avoid it as much as possible, mainly because of The Incident. Something big must be happening to have drawn her to the Beach City of the courts. Not that Sapphire was complaining. If it took her to Litus, Sapphire would gladly welcome catastrophe.

Maybe that was a bit extreme, but Sapphire loved Litus. She loved Litus more than she cared for all of the trivial, material items in her castle. And not just the location or the rarity of Litus, it was the entire essence that made it so perfect to her. The people were kinder, the skies were clearer, and the oceans were friendlier. Basically, everything they had everywhere else was made better by Litus.

She didn’t have to worry about bringing clothes, there was always a closet there in her room, waiting to be used in the off chance that she visited. She was more worried about Ruby, who didn’t have the amenities. Who couldn’t just keep wearing Sapphire’s sweatshirt because it was to damn hot in Litus for that. 

They could always go shopping in the market place, where stores ran down endless streets, and where they ended the tents began. That would probably be the best option. And it would give Sapphire a reason to go out of the castle there. Her mother would never allow an innocent visit to the beach, but perhaps now that she had an excuse to go. And Ruby didn’t know about the restrictions that were in place to keep her ‘safe.’ So she could hardly be blamed if they did get caught. 

Everything was working out perfectly, and Sapphire couldn’t be happier. Or, at least, she thought she couldn’t.

“Lapis!” She exclaimed when they finally arrived at the car that was set to take her and Ruby to Litus. “Are you coming with us, too?”

“Yeah,” Lapis grinned before readjusting the diadem resting underneath her bangs, which had been slightly skewed. Before leaving the throne room, the caretaker of all of the Diamond family’s jewels, Zircon, had come in, carefully balancing what she’d selected for Sapphire and her mother to wear. While her mom got a full golden crown, encrusted with diamonds on every spire reaching out from it, Sapphire received a simpler tiara with, you guessed it, sapphires decorating the front. Both were elegant, both were perfect, and both had a nasty habit of becoming lopsided with the slightest movement. 

“Okay people!” Smithy clapped her hands to get the attention of everyone gathered in the driveway. Not to many people, just the royal family and their private guards. A squadron of police would accompany them later, when they hit the main road. For now, though, it was just the few of them. “We all know the drill. There’s a pack of wild paparazzi animals waiting just beyond the gates of the palace. When we hit the streets, you don’t smile at them. You don’t wave at them. You don’t even look at them. Once we get to Litus we have a select group of photographers who will be in charge of covering our arrival.  _ That’s _ when you smile and wave. All of the drivers will have bugs in their ear, informing them of any changes we will be undergoing. Now, get in the car and let’s move, people!”

“We have Percy, Sapphy,” Lapis laughed as she climbed into the limo that had been designated for her, Sapphire, and Ruby. Rolling her eyes, Sapphire followed Lapis into the limo, Ruby bringing up the rear. It wasn’t cozy in the slightest. The entire car, which was filled with plush, blue seating, had an openness to it that Sapphire couldn’t quite wrap her mind around. It was a car, after all. How could it feel so empty inside?

“Who’s Percy?” Ruby mumbled from the corner she had claimed. While Lapis was lounging casually and Sapphire had her ankles crossed and back straight, Ruby just looked like she was trying to take up as little room as possible. Her hands were protectively covering the tablet in her lap and her eyes kept shifting like she was scared that someone was going to burst through the window with a rifle at any given moment. 

“Our driver,” Sapphire groaned, “The last time we were in Tutus Lapis got bored because this girl she knew, Jasper, was busy doing her  _ job _ so she was wandering around and saw Percy, our driver, talking to a driver from the Yellow Court, Pierre. She’s been convinced that their dating ever since.” 

“You don’t understand, Saphy, they were giving each other this  _ look, _ ” Lapis argued, reaching for a bottle of water already waiting for her in one of the cup holders. 

“I can hear you ladies, you know,” A voice came from the front seat, where a blonde man had just gotten situated behind the wheel, “And for the last time, Miss Lazuli, I have a wife named Paulette. Pierre and I are just friends.”

“Whatever you say, Percy,” Lapis teased before flipping up a switch that closed the window between the driver and the passengers. 

As the vehicle began moving, Sapphire fell into the persona she’d adopted as the crown princess. She let the soft smile fall from her face and inhaled deeply. Since she knew what she her position, she’d been practicing convincing the public that she was above it all. When her mother eventually passed away and she became the Diamond of the Blue Court, she’d need the public to believe that she was a calm, capable ruler. And, at least in her mother’s eyes, that meant letting go of everything that made her seem human.

Looking over, Sapphire could see Lapis pulling out her phone. A luxury. While Sapphire had to seem detached, she didn’t get to busy herself with an electronic. If her mother ever got word of that, Sapphire was positive that she’d never see a device again in her life. Instead she had to occupy herself with studying Ruby, who was possibly the most interesting thing in the car. While Lapis and Sapphire had been doing this since they were kids, Ruby was new to this whole ‘ignore the public’ thing. As much as Sapphire could see her trying, every so often she’d sneak a glance out the window, where groups of paparazzi and families alike were gathered at the side of the roads. 

“Did you ever do anything like this in the Pink Court?” She asked in an attempt to distract Ruby. 

“Huh?” Her guard snapped focus back to her before settling again and wringing her hands together in her lap, “Uh, no. With Rose is was a lot more interaction. She didn’t like taking cars anywhere, she preferred walking wherever she wanted to go. And every time someone came up to her with a paper to sign or a baby to kiss, she was happy to oblige. I guess she was just fascinated with people more than you guys are. I mean, she was really curious about how they worked. And she made an effort to listen to everything they had to say.”

Sapphire took a minute to think about that. In the Blue Court they had a monthly conference with the leaders of all of their towns, and they would bring the most important problems from their districts. And even then, the people had to apply to be heard by the lower tier of rulers. Perhaps, when Sapphire was Diamond, she’d create a system more like the Pink Court’s. She wanted to be able to do more than they were currently able to, and this seemed like a good way to go about doing that. 

She turned over the idea of a better system for her future people the rest of the way to Litus, and tried not to think too much about how it had taken Ruby to pop these ideas into her head. 

 

* * *

 

 

When they got to Litus, Ruby was ready to burst. She’d had to sit through an awkward three-hour car ride with a girl she’d never met and the girl she’d be spending the rest of her days with. It was kind of hard to stay calm when she was definitely freaking out inside.

Before they’d arrived, Sapphire had revealed her plan to take Ruby shopping. This, of course, was a scary idea. Ruby didn’t  _ do _ shopping. And, when she had gone out to get the necessary clothing, Scarlet had always been there to help. She’d always known where to find the best deals on muscle shirts and running shorts, and Ruby was forever grateful. While Sapphire seemed trustworthy, she and Ruby didn’t know the first thing about each other. Sapphire didn’t know what Ruby liked to wear, and Ruby was to afraid to speak up to the princess out of fear of what Smithy might do if she found out. 

So she said yes. Even though she wasn’t entirely sure about the entire thing, at least she’d get something she could actually wear without drawing the eye of everyone in the city to her. While she had messaged Smithy about it (who’d responded faster than Ruby thought was humanly possible, granting them permission) Sapphire had asked Lapis if she cared to join them. While Ruby didn’t have anything against the duchess, she was thankful when she declined the offer. She’d claimed that she was going to do some surfing, whatever that was, with some friends, and Ruby was okay with that. Lapis seemed a little… Intimidating. And, sure, a Royal Guard shouldn’t really be scared of someone, but Ruby couldn’t help getting an off feeling whenever she was caught under Lapis’s gaze. 

The transition from the car to the castle was easy enough. There was a walkway set up with rails that they rushed through, while Lapis and Smithy stopped to answer a few questions. Sapphire stopped, too, to take pictures with a group of girls that were grinning from ear to ear when she was done, and then again to shake hands with an older couple. Ruby focused less on them and more on the protesters standing on the outer banks of the crowd with signs that she couldn’t quite read. 

Only when they were safely inside the castle could she rest easy. It felt like a hurricane had just passed over her, and it’d only been a minute or so. How was she going to survive shopping with Sapphire for what could be hours?

“Sapphire,” Smithy said, coming in through the large doorway, “your mother wanted me to tell you that she expects you and Ruby to be back in the castle at the dining table no later than six thirty. A minute after and she  _ will _ send the Blue Guard after you, and it will make a scene. She’s also granted you access to the Crown’s bank account and ask that you spare no resources when it comes to making sure your guard is in proper attire. She’s also requested that you select and Ruby each select a gown, as there will be a gala tomorrow evening in the main dance hall, where a good number of citizens have been given invitations to attend.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sapphire beamed at Ruby as Smithy scurried away, who just looked worriedly back. A ball? She’d never been to one of those. The closest thing to that that she’d attended was the annual garden party, where Rose had opened the gates to anybody who wanted to come. 

“Let me grab some stuff from my room  _ really _ quickly,” Sapphire asked, already moving to the stairs, “I’ll only take a moment. Don’t move.” With that, she was sprinting up the stairs, taking them two at a time and leaving Ruby to wonder how she’d gotten into this mess. 

 

 

**Hey guys, so one of my favorite parts of the Human!AU is that I get to play around with how the characters look. So I thought that I'd take this opportunity to share my ideas about what, at least my version of, the gems would look like!**

 

**So first I have Smithy, who's just really precious to me:**

 

  
  


**Then I have Blue Diamond, who's high key slaying:**

 

  
  


**And last I have Ruby, who's just rlly cute, guys:**

 

  
  


**(Also this is a picture of Sapphire's tiara:)**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no shopping adventures in this chapter. But I will promise that in the next chapter we will see: A new character, Sapphire being a sweetie pie, the beach, and  
> ....  
> Sadie! 
> 
> (The joke is I'm making it seem like a big deal when it's really not.)
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed and I can't wait to see you guys next Thrusday!
> 
> (Also, the mandatory gem meaning.  
> The only one we got this chapter was Zircon, the jewel master.   
> Zircon-Blue zircon is the most brilliant blue gemstone available. They will help you to love yourself and others, and to recognize the spiritual aspects of yourself.)
> 
> P.S. I just wanted to say that I REALLY do respond to your comments. And not just with 'gee, thanks.' I promise if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this story I will go into a stupid amount of detail to explain. It sounds silly, but I love responding to comments almost as much as I love writing the actual story. Basically, never ever be afraid to leave a comment because I will welcome it with open arms. That is all!


	5. I Wish That I Knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stroll through Litus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOO I don't actually have a real excuse for why this is so late. I guess I could say it's because school started, or I could say that I got into and had to drop a show all within the course of a week. Maybe I could use the fact that I've been going through an emotionally taxing time in my life or I could say that I just broke up with my girlfriend and that's made me even more of a mess.
> 
> All of these are true, but let's be real, it's also a lot to do with the fact that I'm just super lazy. 
> 
> Anyway, as always I hope you enjoy!

Litus was different than anything Ruby had ever seen. Everything about it was a contradiction of life in the Pink Court. Ruby didn’t feel like she was in a city here, she felt like she was on an island. The only road was the main one that lead directly to Lady Aquamarine’s castle. Everywhere else the mode of transformation was walking on a cobblestone path. While she and Sapphire moved down the street, the princess now in a sundress that exposed her back and made it difficult to keep her eyes away, she saw couples riding tandem bikes and teens carrying large boards under their arms down the wooden stairs that lead directly from street to beach. 

“You look impressed,” Sapphire laughed from her place next to Ruby, the floppy sun hat she was wearing getting pushed up on the side from the breeze rolling off the ocean. “I take it they don’t have oceans in the Pink Court?”

“No,” Ruby blushed, “it’s really a gorgeous sight.” Though, to be fair, the most gorgeous thing in her view was Sapphire. And that wasn’t just a cheesy line, either, Ruby actually meant that with her entire being. While the sun was reflecting off of the ocean and the entire population of Litus was out shining their brightest smiles on the streets, Ruby couldn’t take her eyes off of the princess. Not only was she physically appealing, with the bright blue sundress and white hat combination she was rocking, as well as the fact that she was, as far as Ruby was concerned, flawless; but something inside of her seemed to be shining through. As though there was this light that she was keeping hidden inside herself that was trying to escape in any way it could. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Sapphire grinned happily as she looped her arm through Ruby’s and they continued their stroll. As they walked down the main path, Ruby found herself getting distracted constantly. There were merchants selling jewelry and funnel cake and everything in between. A tent that was shared between a carpenter and a rug salesman was on their left while a teen ran a corn-on-the-cob stand to their right. Everything was so bright and shiny it just kept drawing Ruby’s focus until she relied mostly on Sapphire to steer her. In theory that would be fine, except Ruby forgot that Sapphire had her bangs covering her eyes 24/7 and probably couldn’t see where she was going all that well. It didn’t bother Ruby until she felt the fluttering in her face. 

Snapping her attention back in front of her, she saw a pale white butterfly right in front of her nose before letting out a yelp and quickly trying to slap it away. After a second it continued on it’s merry way, quickly flying down the road and disappearing behind a tree, out of Ruby’s view. 

“What was that?” Sapphire asked, turning to face Ruby as her mouth drooped into a frown.

“Nothing,” Ruby blushed and freed her arm from it’s place linked with Sapphire’s, “there was a butterfly. I’m… I dunno, I’m not the biggest fan of insects.”

“What’s not to love about butterflies?” Sapphire asked, focussing again on the crowded road in front of them. “Especially this one. When I was a kid we used to come down to Litus every summer. It was a whole ordeal that I looked forward too the minute we left the year before. And every year there would be this huge butterfly migration that we got to watch as they flew from the South to the northern tip of the Blue Court. Keeping that in mind, this butterfly is all alone, separated from it’s Rabble. Instead, it’s making it’s way by itself, adjusting to life without the rest of it’s swarm. And I think that it’s beautiful that such a small creature that’s used to spending its entire life with the whole swarm is still able to keep fighting by itself.”

“We didn’t have butterflies in the Pink Court,” Ruby confessed, “I guess they’re just not made for that sort of habitat. But we did have bugs. I never really liked bugs all that much. They kind of freaked me out and I always tried to avoid them. But I guess, seeing this butterfly, it’s nice. I mean, I don’t know much about it, and it definitely terrified me at first. But as I watched it move down the road ahead of us… It was nice. Not even that, it was beautiful. So maybe I spoke without really thinking, I just assumed that I wouldn’t like butterflies because of the fact that their insects. But I guess I was wrong.”

“It’s okay to not like things,” Sapphire teased before inhaling deeply and letting a grin fill her face, “unless you don’t like that smell. Because, whatever that is, I want it.”

Ruby sniffed the air and realized what she meant. It smelled like… Like sugar and pumpkins and freshly baked bread. She found herself trailing after Sapphire, who was drifting towards the source of the beautiful scent as if it were some animated cartoon until they were standing in front of one of the various booths. This one had a teenage girl working it, her curly blonde hair falling over a purple shirt that merrily advertised ‘The Big Doughnut.’ In front of her, filling a glass case, were at least 50 different doughnuts, with different colors and sizes stuffing it to the brim.

“Hi there,” the girl working the booth greeted, her head buried in a box by her feet, “welcome to the Big Doughnut Booth. I’m Sadie, how can I help you today?”

“What’s a doughnut?” Sapphire wondered out loud, causing both Ruby and Sadie to look at her with confounded looks. That is, until Sadie started hyperventilating, seemingly realizing who was at her booth. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god! You’re the princess! The princess is at my booth! Um, your highness, what can I get you? Please, anything, on the house. Anything for the princess. The princess!” The doughnut girl kept repeating that to herself, and Ruby had to remind herself that not everyone had grown up around royalty. She and her sisters had lucked out with the fact that they’d been around the Pink Diamond nearly since birth. She’d been raised in the shadow of the Pink Court’s palace. She’d seen Steven, Rose’s son, grow up. It still felt so weird to know that this wasn’t everyone else’s normal.

“You’ve never had a doughnut?” Ruby asked Sapphire, ignoring the girl freaking out in front of them. The princess just shook her head, which made Ruby roll her eyes. How had the princess  _ -the freaking princess-  _ never had the holiness that was a doughnut? Wasn’t the point of growing up in the lap of luxury to have everything you could ever want? “Well, you’ve gotta try it. You seem like a jelly type of person,” She turned to Sadie, “a jelly and, um, that one.” She pointed to one with white icing with blue and pink candies on the top.

“That’s out cotton candy doughnut,” Sadie said, immediately ducking down to retrieve the two doughnuts, “it’s a crowd favorite. People can’t get enough of it. Do you want a box or just napkins? Or I could run and get plates if that’s too messy-”

“Napkins would be wonderful,” Sapphire cut off her babbling with a gentle hand raise, “thank you so much. How much for the two of them?”

“For you?” Sadie asked, delicately placing each in it’s own individual napkin, “Nothing.”

“Please,” Sapphire pushed, though not in an intimidating way, as she reached into the pocket of her sundress and retrieved a thin wallet, “I insist. How much?”

“Uh…” Sadie seemed to turn the idea of actually making the Crown Princess  _ pay _ for food, “4.50,” she blushed deeply, “and maybe a picture? If that’s not to much to ask. Oh God, are you allowed to do that?!”

“Yes,” Sapphire smiled kindly and dug through her wallet to produce a five dollar bill, “of course. And, yes, I am allowed to take pictures. Though, even if I wasn’t, anything for the girl who gave me my first doughnut. Ruby, do you mind?” She tilted her head to Sadie, who palmed her phone.

“Yeah, sure,” Ruby took the phone and slid open the camera app on the lockscreen, aiming it towards Sapphire, who was leaning over the counter to get as close to Sadie as possible. As she snapped a few pictures, she began wondering if this was what life would be like from now on, taking pictures every time they stopped. With Rose, there was usually someone else tagging along with them to do that. Usually Pearl. But, as she looked at the absolutely genuine smile on Sapphire’s face, Ruby realized that she would gladly do this for an eternity, if only to see that look on Sapphire every day. 

“Thank you so much, your highness!” Sadie beamed and waved as Ruby and Sapphire set off, doughnuts in hand. 

They walked in silence, not really looking at each other but not really avoiding eye contact either. It was… nice. Maybe nicer than any silence Ruby had ever experienced before. As she ate her doughnut, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the candies on top crackled in her mouth. The taste was perfect, something entirely new that she wanted to experience over and over.

“This is delicious,” Ruby looked over to see that Sapphire had taken her first bite and already gotten powdered sugar stuck on her lipstick, “I never knew something could be so unhealthy and taste so delicious at once,” She laughed and took another bite. 

“Do they not let you have junk food?” Ruby asked, laughing through another bite of the doughnut. Back at her apartment, they had a section of the pantry dedicated to nothing but junk food. She and her sisters were constantly at the gym, which gave them a little more leeway when it came to eating less-than-healthy items. 

“It’s mostly stuff I get cooked for me,” Sapphire shrugged, adjusting her hat, “I mean, it’s not like I can just run down to the corner store whenever I feel like it to pick up some Chaps. If I did, I’m pretty sure my mother would have a heart attack.”

As the two girls laughed, Ruby avoided thoughts of midnight trips to the drug store with Sapphire, and what other adventures could branch off from that.

 

* * *

 

 

In Sapphire’s opinion, dress shopping was one of the funnest things there was. When she was a little girl she loved to try on every single one of the gowns she got, spinning around the room to test how well they twirled and sprinting up and down the grand staircase to see if she could escape easily, if need be. The look on Ruby’s face made it clear that her body guard did not have the same opinions.

“I don’t understand why I need to get all fancy for a ball when I’m not even gonna be dancing,” Ruby grumbled as she spun slowly on the raised pedestal in the fourth dress Sapphire had chosen for her. It was a sweet dress that was a shade of lilac perfect for the summer. Sapphire figured, hey, if she couldn’t wear pink to a Blue Court party, maybe purple wasn’t so bad. It was a combination of the two that was just cool enough of a color to pass. Evidently, Ruby had either not caught on or wasn’t very impressed. 

“You don’t plan on dancing?” Sapphire asked, trying not to let her hopes fall to much. She’d just figured… Well… They would be going together, no doubt. Maybe the two of them would share a dance or two? It sounded a little bit sad, now that she thought about it. Being excited about dancing with her bodyguard? Not to mention the field day the reporters attending the gala would have, especially since Ruby was still new to the Blue Court. God, how could she have been this fucking  _ stupid? _

The worst thought she had was what if it didn’t even matter to Ruby that she was the guard and Sapphire was the princess? What if that didn’t phase her at all? What if the reason that Ruby hadn’t even  _ considered _ dancing with Sapphire was because she just didn’t like her? She’d thought that they’d been getting along splendidly. She’d thought that everything had been going smoothly and they were really starting to bond. But… How did she not see what was happening?! This was a job for Ruby, one that she’d been forced to leave her family for. If anything, she probably hated Sapphire. The princess couldn’t help but feeling like they were back at square one, on that very first day Ruby had moved into the castle.

Sapphire felt confused. She felt scared of what was to come. She was… She was…

Frozen.

She couldn’t move. She felt like she was watching from outside her body as she started to feel her chest tighten. It felt like she couldn’t breathe, like the walls were closing in around her. She’d never felt like this before. 

“Hey, hey!” Sapphire could hear Ruby’s voice cutting through her spiral down. She could feel the warm hands of her guard as she shook Sapphire, trying to wake her up from her trance-like state. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“No,” Sapphire took a step back, trying to put distance between her and Ruby. She needed distance, “Everything’s fine. I just… I got lost in thought.” Putting it lightly took a new meaning with her words. She needed to get herself together. She needed to beat those emotions back with a broomstick.  _ Princesses don’t show weakness, _ she could practically hear her mother chastising,  _ a flicker of sadness or sympathy and this entire Court comes tumbling down.  _

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked, and the look that she gave Sapphire made the princess almost believe that she cared. How foolish did she have to be to really think that Ruby cared? Ruby should hate her. If the two of them had switched places, Sapphire would definitely hate her. 

“I’m fine,” Sapphire grumbled and tore her eyes away from Ruby. Not because she couldn’t look at her -she got the feeling that she could look at Ruby for hours and not be bored- but because she was scared that she’d do something stupid and mess up whatever this is even more. 

 

* * *

 

 

The walk back to the Litus palace was silent. And not the comfortable silence that Sapphire had grown accustomed to. Instead it was tense and heavy with the idea that both wanted to talk, but neither were brave enough. Instead of dwelling, Sapphire focussed her attention on the beach. It was still visible from where they were walking and is seemed like almost all of Litus was out in the water to bask in it as it danced with the last lights of the setting sun. 

Farther from the shore, she could see a group of kids surfing and hear the echoes from their cries of joy all the way back where she was standing. She’d never been surfing before, but Lapis insisted that it was one of the best things there was. Perhaps, when she was Diamond, she would come back and have Lapis teach her. That would be nice. 

She stole a look at Ruby when she was sure the other girl was facing the other direction. How was she supposed to survive when every time she saw her bodyguard her entire stomach just liquified on the spot? She could barely hold herself together on a walk, how was she supposed to spend her life living with the person who most likely hated her? 

Instead of dealing with her problems head on, like a good person; a good princess; a good Diamond; Sapphire did what she did best. She ran. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I promised a new character and the beach, and technically I delivered a new character with Sadie, but that doesn't really count. 
> 
> I'd intended to incoorperate a dress saleswoman (Paraiba Tourmaline - "Paraiba Tourmaline allows one to 'be at ease' with one's self and others by knowing one's truths") but then it took a different turn and here we are, Paraiba-less. 
> 
> I also promised the beach, which I teased but did not deliver. I pinky promise, though, next chapter with DEFINITELY be on the beach. (And, who knows, maybe something happens there that, let's be real, we've all been rooting for the entire time.)
> 
> Anyway, I'd love to say that I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can, except I'm going to Paris for a week tomorrow so, no, it will probably not be up anytime soon. 
> 
> Anyway, I implore you to come hang out with me on Tumblr (@fangirlmaxima) or, if you want, you can check out my Redbubble page and support a starving artist. My username is WithTheHair and I just uploaded two pieces in the past two days that I'm pretty darn proud of.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll se you either in the comment section or next chapter. :D

**Author's Note:**

> For this I'm going to be adding every gem that appears in my chapters (that isn't in the show) and add their crystal meaning because I promise guys I didn't just throw darts at a periodic table. I actually did work. (I'll also be doing this with places and their translations.)
> 
> Smithsonite: a stone of charm, kindness and positive happenings. It is auspicious for new beginnings.
> 
> Aquamarine: Aquamarine is metaphysically known as a stone of courage and fortitude that can bring great power. 
> 
> Litus: (Latin) Beach, shore, coast
> 
> Urbe: (Latin) City
> 
> Tutus: (Latin) Protected, safe, and out of danger
> 
> Topaz: It is a balancing and calming stone that balances emotions, releases tension, balances emotions, and can bring joy.
> 
> Agate:Protection, Strength, Harmony
> 
> Gemma: (Latin) Jewel
> 
> Carmine and Perinone: two other shades of red.


End file.
